The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-10-24

MONDAY, OCT. "a, 1887.
LONG TIME BETWEEN DRINKS.

A great many years ago the Gov
ernor of North Carolina received q
friendly visit from the Governor of
South Carolina. After a real North
Carolina dinner of bacon and vans,
the two Governors lit pipes and sat
in the shade of the back veranda
with demijohn of real North Caro-
lima corn whiskey, copper-distilled,
within easy reach. "There was
nothing stuck up about those Cover
nors," says a North Carolina State
historian, in the homely but vigorous
language of his selection. "There
they sot and smoked, and sot and
smoked every once and while talk
ing a mutual pull at the demijohn
with the aid Of the gourd, which
they used as Democratic goblet.
The conversation between the two
Governors was on the subject of
turpentine and rice, the staples of
their respective States, and the
further they got into the subject the
lower down they got into the jug,
and the lower they got into the jug
the dryer the Governor of South
Carolina got, who was square
drinker and q warm man, with about
q million pores TO every square inch
of his hide, which enabled him to
histe in likely share of corn juice
or other beverage, and keep his car
cass at the same time well ventilated,
and generally always ready for more,
while the Governor of North Caro-
lima was n more cautious drinker,
but was mighty sure to strike bottom
at about the twelfth drinks, like as if
nature had measured him by the
gourdful. Well, they sot and smoked
and argued, and the Governor of
North Carolina was as hospitable as
any real Southern gentleman could be
for he ladled out the whiskey in the
most liberal manner, being particu-
lar TO give his distinguished guest
three drinks to his one and gauging
his own drinks with great care, for
fear that if he didn't he might lose
the thread of his argument and the
demijohn might run dry before the
Governor of South Carolina should
be ready to dust out for home, in
which case it would look like he had
not properly observed the laws of
hospitality, which would have been
a self-inhicted thorn in his side for
years to come, and no amount of
apology could ease his mind or en-
able him to feel warranted in show
ing his cuntenanco to his fellow-men,
especially in his home district,
where for generations it had been
main point with every gentleman to
keep his visitor well supplied with
creature comforts and to hand him a
good gourdful as a stirrup-cup when
about to make his departure for the
bosom of his family. Singular to
relate, the cautiousness manifested
by the Governor of South Carolina
was of no avail, for at one and the
same time the jug went dry, and the
Governor of South Carolina, much
OF his subsequent modification,
when he learned the facts afterwards,
dropped off into quiet sleep, while
the Governor of South Carolina con-
tinued to keep on with his argument,
holding the empty gourd in his hand
in close contiguousness to the demi-
john, and wondering at the apparent
Observation-Disclosures of his hitherto
attentive host to whom, after o min
ute and half of painful silence, he
made use of but one remark: "Gover-
nor, don't you think it's long time
between drinks?" The remark was
overheard by George, body servant
of the Governor of North Carolina,
who, knowing that there was some
thing wrong, took to the woods,
where he remained in seclusion for
three days; but the Governor of
South Carolina, receiving no reply
from the Governor of North Caro-
lima, mounted his horse and rode
sadly homeward with an irrepressi-
BILE feeling at his heart that there
was coming to be hollowness in
friendship and that human nature
was in danger Of drifting into con-
dition of chaotic mockery.